


within the temple

by Anna_Blossom



Series: Shipwatch 2017 [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Shipwatch Week 2017, mythical AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-03 00:06:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11520372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anna_Blossom/pseuds/Anna_Blossom
Summary: She presses further inward, guided by torchlight, lips already stretching into a grin at the thought of the others’ reactions. Her mother would be proud, of course. Same with Reyes and Morrison, butJesse. She laughs to herself. So what if he found the dragon’s den first? A goddess’s temple is awaycooler find.DAY 1 – Fairy Tale/Mythical AU





	within the temple

**Author's Note:**

> highly inspired by my love for the Oasis skin

It’s not every day you get to stumble upon a goddess’s sanctuary.

Her torch illuminates most of the temple’s wide interior, flame light winking against golden pillars. Despite having been rumored to be abandoned hundreds of years ago, the white marble floor shows no signs of age or decay. No cracks, no scratches, no stains. If it weren’t for the fine layer of dust coating the floor, Fareeha would’ve thought the place occupied.

She runs her hand down one of the pillars. Solid gold. She whistles, wiping her hand free of dust on her jeans. Damn.

She presses further inward, guided by torchlight, lips already stretching into a grin at the thought of the others’ reactions. Her mother would be proud, of course. Same with Reyes and Morrison, but _Jesse_. She laughs to herself. So what if he found the dragon’s den first? A goddess’s temple is a _way_ cooler find.

At the end of the corridor, she spots an archway. She pauses, drawing a mental map, before going through. She stops. A great set of steps lay at the opposite wall of the area she just entered. The same steps she used to enter the temple.

What the hell?

She inspects the area. The same gold pillars, the same marbled floor. Or maybe it’s just the structure of the temple, each room made identically. That theory is proven wrong when she sees a handprint on one of the pillars, disturbing the layer of dust. She lays her hand over it. Same shape, same size.

What the _hell_?

She goes around the room, looking for another doorway, maybe a secret passage way. No such luck. She clicks her tongue, annoyed. She considers going back outside. Try to go around the temple, find another entrance. Perhaps call the others—

A strong gust blows into the room, blowing out her torch and leaving her in the dark; she covers her eyes instinctively, dropping her now extinguished torch, but then the wind stops, disappearing just as quickly.

_What the hell?!_

Her eyes open, trying to adjust to the complete darkness. She kneels down, feeling for her fallen torch. Shit. Why did she go here without a flash light again? Oh wait, because _Jesse_ broke the last one. She swears, keeps on searching, when she notices a faint light gradually filling the area.

She twists around, and gasps in awe. Crystal-blue butterflies start fluttering above her, wings glowing. She stands. Where did they come from? One of them flies by close enough that she sees veins of white light spread across its wings.

_The Light Goddess filled her temple with creatures, all made out of light. Her favorite, in particular, were butterflies._

Fareeha freezes, realization making her stop. The butterflies are real. Then that means…

_Legend says that to find her, all you have to do is follow them._

She takes a step forward, heart thudding in her chest, then another; before the butterflies take off, flying away erratically.

“Ah!” Fareeha rushes after them, chasing the cloud of light. Down a hall, through an archway, down another hall. She keeps on following the butterflies, trying to memorize the route, until they suddenly disperse, right in front of her, revealing a set of double doors.

She digs her feet into the ground, tries to slow down even though she knows it’s too late. She closes her eyes and braces for impact.

Except it doesn’t come.

The doors open wide, bright light at the back of her eyelids, and she falls forward towards the floor instead. She pushes herself up and off the marble floor with a groan, rubbing her elbow, before realizing someone’s standing right before her. Soft laughter makes her look up, and when she does, her breath catches.

Standing there is a woman, face half covered with a pristine eyeless mask, something similar to golden horns protruding from the sides of it. A light blue chain hangs from her nose to her ear, the same color as her dangling earrings. She sees dark lips flatten into a stern line, before a hand covers her mouth, nails painted an arctic blue.

“Greetings.”

Dazed, Fareeha gets up, and it takes her a few moments before she realizes she’s staring. She blinks, ears red. “Hello! I, um,” she clears her throat, feeling flustered. “You are the… Light Goddess?”

Those lips stretch into a smirk. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

Before Fareeha could further contemplate what that smirk would feel like against her skin, the goddess frowns. With a ‘tsk’, she stretches out her hand; Fareeha tenses, only to feel skin brushing against her cheek. Soft as a petal. The touch disappears quickly, leaving her face warm.

“Apologies. You had some dirt on your face. You weren’t hurt on the way here, were you?”

“N-no,” she stutters out, “I’m alright.”

The goddess smiles, just a twitch of her mouth, sharp and cutting in its beauty, and Fareeha swears under her breath. She extends a finger, and a butterfly settles on it, wings pulsing with light. “It’s been a while since one of your kind has visited the temple. You may call me Oasis.”

“Oasis,” Fareeha repeats, still entranced. It seems as if the longer she stares, the more details she finds. The intricate dress with pieces of gilded armor, the translucent cloth hanging behind her head, even the barely there light spilling out from underneath her mask as Oasis turns to face her.

“And you? What is your name?”

Fareeha snaps to attention, staring at the golden flower pattern on her mask in lieu of her eyes. “I’m, uh, Fareeha Amari.” She holds out her hand in reflex, mentally beating herself afterwards.

“Fareeha Amari.” Oasis ignores her outstretched hand, taking a step forward. “You, Fareeha Amari, are here for a reason. The Light Goddess does not simply grant entry to anyone seeking it, nor does she tolerate any trespassers who force their way in.” She moves, one step after the other, until Fareeha has no choice but to match her with a step backwards, until her back hits the wall.

“Wait, the Light Goddess? Then you’re—”

“So that begs the question: did she grant you entry,” Oasis takes one last step, barring any chance of easy escape. A hand rests on Fareeha’s throat, not flesh. Metal? Her muscles go taut with tension, ready for fight or flight. “Or did you force your way in, _treasure hunter?_ ”

Fareeha jolts at the title, hand twitching for the knife hidden in her boot. “How did you—”

“You are neither the first nor the last.” A hand drags across her throat, golden tips dragging lightly across her skin. One pushes down against her throat, pressure increasing, the light from her mask glowing unnervingly brighter. “Answer my question.”

“I followed the butterflies.” The words leave her mouth in a rush. “After a wind blew out my torch, butterflies appeared out of nowhere and I followed them here.”

The pressure disappears, and Fareeha feels sweat gathering on her palm, still staring at the eyeless mask. Oasis lets go and raises her hand, fingers curling under her chin, before turning heel, gesturing for her to follow.

“Come, you must wash. The goddess would not want you spreading dust all over the inner halls of her temple.”

Fareeha stares at her, jaw slack, the phantom feeling of a hand against her throat still there.

_What. The. Hell._

\--

Oasis leads her to a small bathing area and immediately leaves. A small clear pool lies in the middle of the room, baby pink petals and tiny leaves floating in it. Fareeha dips into it, ice cold water making her skin prickle. After her bath, she goes to pick up her clothes off the sandstone floor and dresses quickly. She stares at the sheathed knife in her boot, before taking it and replacing it on her waist.

She wanders the temple, taking in the interior. It’s no different from the first area she saw, but now, tendrils of vines creep along the white walls and around the golden pillars, flowering with fluorescent lilies, white petals fading into either blue or pink at the edges. Butterflies flit from flower to flower, seemingly glowing brighter each time. _More alive_ , Fareeha thinks as she observes one drink from one of the lilies, proboscis pulsing.

“This way, Fareeha Amari.”

She whirls, hair whipping, hand on the hilt of her knife. Oasis stands behind her.

“The Light Goddess wishes to speak to you.”

“About what?”

“Whatever the goddess wishes to talk about.”

Fareeha relaxes, lets her hand fall from her knife. “You don’t know?”

Oasis shrugs. “Many come here seeking glory and fame, thinking they are the first to find Vishkar’s sacred temple. Some come here seeking fortune, hearing tales of gold and riches hidden inside. A small few,” there’s a visible downturn to her lips, “wished to _capture_ the goddess.” She scoffs then, turning around and gesturing for her to follow. “Imagine. Capturing a goddess when they cannot even make their way past the high priestess.”

“Is that what you are?” Fareeha paces forward until she’s walking right beside her. “The high priestess? And the Light Goddess is Vishkar? And why did she allow _me_ into—”

Oasis whips around, face to face with her in an instant, finger resting on the other’s lips. Fareeha watches as she leans forward, staring at the light spilling from underneath her mask. This close, she can almost feel Oasis’s body against hers. A long moment passes, before her lips curve into

“You’ll get your answers in time.”

Then she’s gone, walking forward as if she just didn’t leave Fareeha’s heart hammering out of her chest.

Fareeha stares, putting a hand over her chest, willing her heart to slow. Distantly, she hears Jesse’s voice in her head, taunting her.

_You’re fucking fucked, Ree._


End file.
